Stay
by laurenwrites
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen. Or, the havoc wrecked by Liz and Avan's secret love affair. THIS IS ELAVAN, NOT BADE. For Bdazam.
1. Part One

**Okay I have NO IDEA why I'm posting this but my gang (friends) yelled at me until I wrote it so here it is. I haven't ever written Elavan before, so this is just a mess, and I'm sorry.**

* * *

.

* * *

_**Incoming Text**_** – Jogia**

What time do you get here?

* * *

"Who's that?"

Liz looks up at her best friend, who's finishing her bite of salad and staring curiously at the iPhone from across the table.

"Let me guess," Kristin continues anyways. "Avan."

Liz furrows her eyebrows, but it's harder than she'd anticipated to keep the smile from curving her lips upwards. "Why would you think that?"

"Every time he texts you, you get this…_look_… Like you're watching two puppies cuddle each other or something."

"Doubtful," the brunette retorts, turning back down to text him back.

* * *

_**Outgoing Text **_**– Jogia**

We land at 6 pm :)

* * *

Kristin kinks her eyebrow. "You should tell that to your face. Seriously, are you sure you're not still in love with him?"

"Oh, _god_. Krist, he's dating a _seventeen-year-old_."

"Okay, you of all people cannot emphasize the age difference issue there."

"That's different and you know it," Liz defends. "Mike is older, and I like that he's mature. We have a lot in common—but I've already explained this to you. Zoey is…younger. She's less mature. I mean, Jesus Christ, can she just have _one_ Facebook profile picture that isn't of a cat?"

Kristin laughs and sets her fork back down on her plate for the last time. "I'm just saying; I feel like he still has a thing for you. And by a _thing_, I mean a big thing… that you've seen before."

Liz rolls her eyes through her inevitable grin. "You bitch."

"At least I admit it," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "Hey, what time does our plane land in LA?"

"Six," the actress answers, signing her check before stuffing her credit card back in her wallet.

"And I'm guessing the Silver Fox is picking us up?"

"Ugh," Liz groans, making a puking motion with her finger, "quit calling him that."

Kristin only laughs, and she's still laughing when they get into the back seat of the black SUV that will drop them at the airport. "Is he picking us up, though?"

"He…can't. He'll be in the studio."

"So did you ask Ari?"

"No," Liz answers casually, trying to avoid Kristin's unavoidable next question.

"So who's picking us up?"

* * *

_**Incoming Text**_** – Jogia**

See you at the airport :)

* * *

.

* * *

_**Incoming Text**_** – Mike**

U landed yet?

* * *

_**Outgoing Text**_** – Mike**

We're at baggage claim. Avan was already gonna be at the airport to drop off a friend, so he's picking us up. Still wanna do dinner tonight with everyone?

* * *

"Liz, that's yours," Kristin points out, drawing the girl's attention to the big, black suitcase sitting on the belt.

She's quick to stuff her phone in her pocket to grab her bag in time, and before they know it they're walking outside to the Arrivals terminal. When Avan's car pulls up to the side right by the girls, he hops out and around to see them.

"Hey, Kristin," he greets, giving her a friendly hug before moving so she can load her bag into the trunk. He then wraps his arms around Liz, and—when he's sure Kristin isn't paying attention—drops a gentle (and subtle) kiss to her neck.

"Hi, Gorgeous," he says as they hug, just loud enough for her to hear. When she feels his breath against her, she notices that her body gets the same tingling sensation that she'd tried for so long to forget. Now that she remembers the spark, though, she's sure she won't ever be able to go without it.

"Here, I got your bag," Avan offers, pulling her suitcase into his trunk as Liz gets into the passenger's seat. "How was the flight?" He asks as he begins to drive out of the terminal.

"It was aight," Liz jokes, and Avan gets a grin that only her sense of humor can bring out of him. "How've you been, Jogia?"

"Things are pretty solid. I'm enjoying my last few months in LA, cause soon I'll be part of the New York crowd."

"Is that where you guys are filming Socio?" Kristin pops in.

"Yeah, we've got the set in lower Manhattan," he responds. "I guess I'll be hanging out with you two more often," he says, and she swears she sees him smile at Liz. "Am I cool enough to roll with you guys?"

"Mm, definitely not," Liz quips, checking her phone to see a text from her boyfriend. "Hey," she murmurs, "you guys are still down for dinner tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah, Dan actually texted me earlier to make sure I wasn't bailing," Avan laughs. Being that they live across the country, neither girl actually knows just how distant Avan had made himself from his cast members. It hadn't been intentional; he'd simply found that, without his on-screen girlfriend there to keep him company, he didn't have as much fun with the others.

"Your ass had better be there," she demands—but, now that she's here, he wouldn't miss it for the world.

.

It's surprising, really, how well they're able to keep up with the bustling flow of the dinner conversation. While she sits on one side of the table between Mike—who's chatting with Dan—and Kristin—busy informing Matt all about her life at NYU—he sits by his girlfriend across the table. It seems that no one (not even Zoey, who appears to see everything) notices the stares they're giving each other. Under the table, his foot brushes in a consistent, casual rhythm against hers. Their skin isn't even touching—just her shoes against his—and yet, she still gets chills from his contact.

They try desperately not to make too much eye contact, but, when they inevitably do, it's almost as if they know exactly what the other is thinking.

Alongside Kristin, Liz is staying with Ariana (and Alexa) at the Grande house, which will easily make it difficult for her to ever get alone time. When she slips out of the house at two in the morning, feeling _completely_ like a rebellious high schooler, she manages to get successfully to Avan's apartment without a single "where'd you go" text from anyone.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"There you are," he greets, a warm smile on his face. Liz matches his expression, immediately falling into his embrace as he shuts the door behind her. Before either of them can even get another word in, he's flipped her to be pressed up against the door. As his hands find their familiar place on her curves, he kisses her with a passion neither one of them could ever experience in their time apart.

"God, I missed you so much," he breathes.

"Has it really only been three weeks since the last time?" She asks between kisses. "Feels like months."

"I know, Babe. Did I tell you how much I like your hair, by the way?"

She grins against his lips. "Yeah?"

"Very sexy, like always," he answers, moving his lips all down her jawline. As he buries his face in her neck, she gently grabs onto his hair and closes her eyes with pleasure.

It's hard to pull herself back to the present when he's kissing her, but something's looming over their heads that can't be avoided any longer.

"Avan, Avan," she says, pulling his face back up to hers. "We promised we'd talk about it tonight."

He sighs, leaning his forehead against hers and lingering for a few seconds. His hands cup her cheeks, and he plants one more kiss on her lips before pulling away. He takes her hand and leads her into the living area, where the plop down on the couch together. Liz swings her legs up, laying them across his lap, and his arm instinctively goes over to hold softly onto her thigh.

"I miss this," Avan sighs, rubbing his thumb back and forth against her jeans. "And I know what you're going to say, but you know I've made up my mind… I want this: you and me, all the time."

She looks at him, her face showing her sympathy to his words. Every ounce of her wants to tell him how much she agrees with him—how much she wants the same exact thing—but an obnoxious red light is dinging in her head and she knows that they have more to work out if either of them is ever going to be happy.

"You know it's more complicated than that," she points out.

He rubs his forehead and runs a hand through his hair—a habit that, despite how much crap he gets for it, he can't break. "What do we do?"

It's quiet for a minute or two, while millions of thoughts race through both of their heads. Liz is the first to break the silence, "We're not doing anything until after Saturday."

He smiles at her. "Fine, but we're at least getting a picture. One _apart_ from the cast."

"I think a certain someone might take an issue with that," Liz counters, and Avan rolls his eyes just at the sound of the girl she's referring to. "I'm just saying. Also, you know you can't just blindside her."

He furrows his eyebrows, his expression more frustrated than angry. "This won't be out of nowhere… She's been accusing me of being spacey lately, and I'm sick of pretending like I love her."

"I know you are, Avan, but I—"

"Liz," he cuts her off, "I'm an adult. And I love you for being sensitive to the situation, but I promise you it'll work out. Trust me, okay?"

Her heart skips a beat. When she looks into his eyes, the impulsive, spontaneous side of her wants to suggest that they forget everything and everyone and just run away together—as unrealistic as it may sound. The more prominent, calculated side of her, however, presses her to question everything about what they're doing.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

When they broke up two years ago, having decided that they were better as friends, they weren't supposed to feel pulled back to each other. They weren't supposed to hide their love for each other, and worse, further mask their feelings by getting into relationships with other people.

Avan knew upon meeting Zoey that she was nothing like Liz; she was everything he needed to never be reminded of his beautiful ex-girlfriend, and the perfect way (he figured) to get over her.

Mike, additionally, was far from Avan in almost every way possible. He was much older—the perfect way for Liz to prove that she was mature enough to move on—and they had a lot in common with their love for music.

Still, both of them were (knowledgeably) idiotic to split up in the first place. Regardless of that, though, they've found themselves in a situation that puts everything on the line. As afraid as Liz is to admit it, her reputation, dignity, and (especially) her vulnerability are all at risk.

"Are you sure about this?"

Avan wraps his free arm around her waist, giving him access to pull her in close. He kisses her—it's chaste and comforting—and she lets herself lean into his touch. "There's nothing I'm more sure of than the fact that this is right. You and me, McGills. _I'm positive_."

.

"Victoria! Right here!"

"Over here, guys! Look here!"

"Avan! Daniella! This way!"

As the paparazzi shout at the cast members from every direction, the eight actors do their best to give each camera equal attention. After girl pictures, guy pictures, and pictures with Dan have passed, they drift apart to start posing individually.

Liz isn't surprised when they first holler for she and Ariana to take photos together. The best friends, as usual, goof around for a solid three minutes before they've gotten enough pictures to satisfy the paps.

She swears it's a godsend, though, when some loud guy close by yells for her to join Avan in front of a video camera.

"Hi, Liz, Avan," the blonde greets each of them brightly, "I'm Rachel. Would you guys mind doing an interview for PopStar Magazine?"

"Sure!"

"My pleasure," Avan adds, fighting the urge to wrap his arm around her waist.

"Awesome! Okay, so on our website, we took a poll; the most wanted interview according to fans of the show was this one, with you two. How was it being the ones playing the only couple on Victorious?"

"We loved it," Avan begins. "I know I had a great time playing Beck, and Liz did Jade so well."

"You two have such great chemistry."

Liz blushes (_dammit_), and they both laugh off the statement as casually as possible. "I guess it just works out well," Avan responds.

"In a recent interview, Liz, you said that you two like to get a little _touchy-feely _when playing Beck and Jade. Do you think it contributes to the characters' relationship?"

"Oh, definitely," Liz answers. "When we've talked about it before, we both feel like Jade and Beck have this really super intense connection. We always tried to convey that through our acting, so we felt it was important to make them a handsy kind of couple—just like most real life high school ones are."

"That's awesome; you guys seem so dedicated to the show," she says, her smile just as big as when they'd started. "Just one more question, from the fans: what's your relationship like as _Liz and Avan_?"

They don't intentionally stare at each other, but he hadn't anticipated that catching her gaze would lead to giving her such a lasting look.

"Liz is my best friend," he answers, slinging an "innocent" arm around her hip. "We… have a lot of fun together."

She uses her best acting skills to keep her face unrevealing, but the second that Rachel is gone she cracks a smile.

"Jesus Christ, Avan," she says, hitting his shoulder, "wanna be a little more obvious?"

But before he can respond, they're being shouted at by more photographers. To say that Avan's smirk is the most contemptuous thing Liz has ever seen would be an understatement. He's happy as a clam when the paparazzi demand pictures of the two of them together.

The dark haired actor, who—even when Liz is in heels—is still taller than her, is quick to pull her into him. While he faces forward, her body is rotated so that her chest is pressed up against his side. She brings her right arm up to rest it on his chest, palming his shoulder at the top. His hand, meanwhile, is attached to her waist as he holds her comfortably to him.

As if she wasn't already jittery enough, Avan doesn't even check to make sure his girlfriend isn't watching them before he turns his head to whisper in her ear.

"You look really beautiful, Babe," he says softly, again only loud enough for her to hear. Liz is trying frustratingly hard to keep a poker face, but she won't be able to hold it for long. "And that dress looks amazing on you," Avan continues, "but I know we're both gonna like it better when it's off."

She bites her lip to conceal her smile, but—to anyone with a brain—there's no hiding the obvious attraction they have to each other.

And the pictures are just physical proof.

.

"Congratulations, again, Lizzy. You and the kids deserve it."

As she leans up against the bar, she forces a smile. It's not that she isn't _attracted_ to Michael anymore (there's just some classic rock aspect to him that reminds her of her old soul), but it's rather that her heart is yearning for something (_someone_) else.

"Yeah, I think so too," she replies sweetly, but he doesn't know her well enough to read her eyes. He doesn't know that, if she were really interested in carrying the conversation, she'd have her emerald eyes locked on his. She'd probably be fully facing him, and maybe he'd feel comfortable enough to rest his hand on her back. She's been spacing herself, though, in hopes that he's had enough life experience to know when a girl is no longer satisfied in a relationship.

"Meeples!"

As if she'd been reading her mind, Ariana pops up in front of her best friend, dragging her lanky boyfriend behind her. She wraps her arms around Liz, smiling when she pulls away.

"Hey, Jai," Liz greets. "Have you met Mike?"

"Don't think so," the boy replies, sticking his hand out for him to shake. "I'm Jai. Good to meet you, Mate."

"You too, Bud," Mike says. "Hey, well Drake just texted that he's here," he informs his girlfriend, who couldn't care less. "I'm gonna go grab him. I'll see you in a bit, yeah?"

"Yeah," she accepts with a smile, feeling a twinge of guilt when he kisses her cheek. The turning in her stomach becomes all too real, though, when she realizes that she's got her chance to find Avan.

"You mean Drake Bell?" Jai asks. "That guy's a sick musician."

"Yeah," Mike answers. "Join me if you want, Dude."

"Think I will," he nods, turning to Ariana. "Be back soon, Love," he says, kissing her pink lips before walking off with Mike.

"You seem really happy now that you're back with him," Liz admits. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone more depressed than when you were broken up for like, the five minutes that you were."

The brunette laughs. "Thanks. But…I didn't come over here to talk about _my_ relationship status. I know this isn't the ideal place to talk about this—which is why we're having a full-on conversation about it tonight at my house—but I'm literally dying to ask. Meeples, are you and Avan," she says, lowering her voice, "like—"

"What? Ari," Liz fumbles, "no. No. I'm with Mike, and he's—"

"It didn't _look_ like you were with Mike two seconds ago," she points out, raising her eyebrows.

Liz pauses, taking a sip of her champagne to calm her nerves. "Was it that obvious?"

"Uh, you looked about as interested in Mike as Dan's wife is in _Dan_. The good news is, I'm pretty sure Mike has no idea. But…why not just break up with him?"

"Ugh," Liz groans, "it's just hard, you know? I mean, I shacked with him for a week and half earlier this month, so I feel like it'll look like I was just using him. I don't know."

"Wait, does this mean Avan's dumping Zoey?"

She cocks her head to the side and raises her eyebrows. _"Duh," _her face reads.

"You naughty, naughty girl. I always knew Avan wouldn't be able to stay away for long."

Liz is about to respond when she sees the subject of their conversation across the bar. He's in a circle with a few of the producers of their show, but he's paying attention to anything but their conversation as he stares at Liz. He has a little smile on his face, and she immediately feels her body begin to get heated. When he knocks his head to the side a couple times, gesturing to where the bathroom is, she swears her heart stops beating.

"Yeah," is her delayed response. She flickers her eyes quickly back to Ariana. "I guess we just suck at being apart." She downs the rest of her champagne while Ari checks a text message from Jai. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll come find you later."

"Okay," she replies innocently. "Let me know if you see Alexa in there—she took too many shots and I sorta lost her like twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah, will do," Liz answers, not even fully hearing the extent of Ariana's request.

By the time she gets to the three-stall women's bathroom, the door of which locks from the inside, he's the only person inside.

"Took you long enough," he teases though a grin, flipping the lock to prevent anyone from interrupting them.

"Avan, what the hell are we doing?" She asks, the words flowing meaninglessly from her lips as he pins her against the wall. Her red lipstick is soon all over his mouth as he kisses her aggressively over and over again. "What if someone comes in?" Liz breathes into his mouth as his experienced hands explore her chest.

"No one's coming in," he assures her, and it doesn't take much other than the feeling of his body pressed up against hers for her to believe him.

"I swear, I'm on fire right now," she mumbles against his lips, undoing the buttons on his shirt until he flings it to the floor. When he lifts her up—dress, heels, and all—her legs wrap around his torso as he carries her to the counter where the sinks are. As his kisses travel all down her neck and décolletage, she tries to focus on unbuckling his pants so that they fall to the floor.

"Gah, I love you so much," Avan asserts as his hands grip her hips to pull her closer to him. Her arms loop around his back to hold onto him for support, and their lips are ravishing at each other's more sloppily than ever before.

They're too caught up in the heat of the moment to be thankful for the sound of Iconica Pop's "I Love It" blaring through the club, but the music successfully plays its role in drowning out the loud screams coming from the bathroom.

It isn't until they're redressing themselves together—still stealing kisses through the grins on their faces—and exiting the bathroom that they realize the consequences of their actions.

There, standing as he waits to get into the men's restroom just ten feet away, is a shocked, confused, and curious Mike.

* * *

**I don't know if I'll ever continue this but it was fun while it lasted I guess LOL**


	2. Part Two

_It isn't until they're redressing themselves together—still stealing kisses through the grins on their faces—and exiting the bathroom that they realize the consequences of their actions._

_There, standing as he waits to get into the men's restroom just ten feet away, is a shocked, confused, and curious Mike._

* * *

Liz opens her mouth to say something, but it turns into nothing more than a gasp. Avan swallows hard. He's got muscle, but he knows that her boyfriend could beat him to the floor in seconds if he really wanted to.

"Mike," she utters, but he puts his hand up to stop her from saying anything else.

"Don't mention it," he says, his tone not nearly as angry as she'd imagined it'd be. He's calm—for which Avan thanks his lucky stars—and Liz swears her eyes are playing tricks on her when she sees Mike's lips curve up into the smallest smile. "I'll see ya'round," he tells them, disappearing back into the club.

When Liz turns back around, her face is flushed a nervous pink. Avan knows her well enough to know she might cry, and he's sure his thoughts are confirmed when she pushes the door of the bathroom back open again. He follows right behind her, again locking the door behind them.

"Liz," he starts, turning towards where she's standing. Her arms are above her shoulders, hands cupping either side of her head.

"Oh my god," she sighs. "That did not just happen."

"Okay, Babe, calm down. He...didn't look like he would say anything."

"That's not the point, Avan! My _boyfriend_ just practically walked in on us having sex!"

"I know, but—"

"No. No, you would not even be _close_ to this calm if that had been Zoey, and you know it."

He purses his lips, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands. "I'm sorry," he tries, his eyes falling to his feet.

It's quiet for a few minutes while both of them let the situation sink in. The silence is interrupted, though, by a hand slamming several times on the door.

"Liz! Are you in there? Liz?"

"Shit," the brunette mutters. "Get in the stall. Just stay there." Avan does as he's told, vanishing into the one furthest away just as Liz is opening the door.

"God, _there_ you are," a seemingly relieved Ariana says. "Where've you been? And what happened? I just saw Mike leave. Did you two get in a fight?" She barely gives Liz two seconds to say anything before, "_Ohmagod_, was it about Avan?"

"Ari," she cuts her off. "Everything… Everything's fine. We…broke up…I think—I don't even really know. I have to talk to him, but I just don't want to deal with this right now. I just… I need you not to say anything about this. I'll explain it all later. Come on," she says, swinging the door back open as she takes Ariana's wrist, "let's go dance."

.

When Liz finally returns to the Grande home at nearly four o'clock on Sunday morning, she can't even say she's tired. Physically, her body is used to the lack of sleep—which she knows will work in her favor when she sees that (not surprisingly) Kristin and Ariana are still awake.

"Is this a walk of shame?" is the first thing out of Kristin's mouth. "Who was it?"

"Where's Alexa?" Liz asks instead.

"She went home with Matty," Ariana answers, brushing it off surprisingly casually. "Don't change the subject."

Liz rolls her eyes and plops down on the couch. "Mike and I are over. I've been at his house for a few hours."

"Oh my god, Liz, are you okay?" Kristin adds.

"Is," Ariana starts, "this...about—"

"Yeah."

"Wait… I'm lost."

Liz sighs. "You were right, Kristin... About me and Avan." She looks to and from her best friends. "We've...sort of been seeing each other for a while now."

"Called it."

"A _while_?" Ari pipes. "Like, how long?" Liz doesn't answer for a few seconds, giving Ariana a chance to process it.

"When he was in New York filming the Twisted pilot, he asked me to come to his hotel room because he wanted to catch up. And…ever since then…"

There's a long pause, and Liz rubs her arms to conceal the goosebumps she gets from thinking about that winter night with Avan. "I think I'm gonna go to bed, though. I don't want to be totally dead for that flight tomorrow."

Kristin pops her head up. "You're going home with me?"

"Well, yeah, I mean… I'm not gonna stay in LA just to be tormented by the idea of running into Mike. Or Zoey, for that matter. I don't think I could even look her in the eye."

The girls nod their heads, their expressions a combination of sympathy and curiosity for Liz's situation.

"Alright, well," she continues, rising from the couch. "See you in the morning. Night."

.

_Six Weeks Later_

.

"_Just do it. Just…do it. You can do it. The longer you wait, the harder it gets. Just do it."_

As Liz paces back and forth across the floor of penthouse in New York, she holds her cell phone in her sweaty palm. She's hoping it never lights up—that she never has to see the text she knows is coming that will tell her that he's ready to Skype. She thinks maybe calling would be easier, so that she doesn't have to see his face when she tells him. Then again, if she can't do this in person she knows that he deserves the next best alternative.

When she's staring anxiously at the black screen of her iPhone, his text appears and it almost stops her heart. For him, letting her know that he's logged onto Skype is nothing more a routine action—something they regularly do to catch up with each other since they live across the country. Little does he know that the information she has to share with him will be anything _but_ what he's expecting.

Just as she's sitting down on her bed and getting comfortable, she hears the ringing sound of his call coming through her computer. After forcing herself to click "accept," his face shows up. His dark, thick hair is folded into a ponytail behind his head, clearing out of his face so she can see his smile.

"Hey, Liz McGills," he charms, shifting to get cozy. "What's up?"

"I just got back from dinner," she tells him, her mind flashing back to having to make up an excuse for why she "_didn't want wine_."

"Who'd you go with?"

"Kristin and Chelsea. What are you up to?"

"Reading the script for the next episode of Twisted, actually. Three weeks 'til I'm up there in New York with you for good… I miss you," he says, unable to hide his happiness.

Liz musters a smile (that somehow looks genuine) before her gaze falls to the side of her laptop, where the white plastic sticks are laying softly on her bed.

It had taken four times. _Four times_ for her to truly believe the meaning behind the unfortunate little pink plus signs—but there's no denying it now.

"You okay?" He asks, shaking her from her thoughts. "You seem…distracted."

"Oh," she sighs. "Yeah, no, I just… I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay," Avan complies. "Shoot."

She takes a deep breath, nervously twisting a ring on her skinny index finger. "After the KCAs, when—"

"Hi, Baby."

At the sound of a younger, squeaky voice, Avan immediately minimizes the Skype window. Liz's heart is still racing as she watches his girlfriend prance over to him and plop onto his lap. After planting a sloppy kiss on his lips, by which he looks annoyed, she slings her arm around his neck.

"I have to tell you something," she informs him, and at this point he's forgotten about the little red light on his MacBook's webcam. While he waits for her to answer, he notices that she's starting to look scared.

"I think I'm pregnant."

Avan's expression falls, as if something is sucking all of the color from his face, and he feels a burning pit in his stomach.

Liz's hand instinctively moves to her stomach, and she feels uncharacteristic (and hormone-driven) tears start to well up behind her eyes.

"Avan…come on, Baby," Zoey encourages, her "fearful" façade beginning to diminish upon seeing his reaction. "It won't be bad. I know we're young, but we'll do it together," she claims, combing her fingers through his hair.

"Um," he utters, sitting up straighter despite the weight of her body on him, "how did this happen? How…far along are you? I don't get it; we've always used protection."

Her thick eyebrows furrow in front of him. "Why are you being so rude? I'm trying to tell you that I'm _pregnant_ with your _baby_ and you're just sitting there acting mad."

"Zoey, you have to give me a second to process this! I'm twenty-one years old. I'm nowhere _near_ ready to be a dad…and you just turned eighteen!"

Liz is watching in horror as the apprehensive words spill from his mouth. "_There's no way I can do this to him_," she thinks. "_I'll ruin his life_."

"Avan, what are you gonna do?" Zoey shrieks. "You can't just _leave _me! We have to do this together!"

"W-w-woah," he stammers, "you don't even know if you're pregnant yet. Right?"

She rolls her eyes and slides off of his lap to be back on her feet. "Well I'm pretty _sure_," she retorts, folding her arms across her tiny chest. "But it's sure swell to know that if I _am_, my own boyfriend's not gonna be supportive of it."

"Zoey," he sighs, standing up, "calm down. I never said anything about not being supportive. We'll…figure it out." Avan pulls her into a hug, and Liz's stomach is in a million knots. She impulsively signs off and shuts her laptop, not wanting to see any more, and lets her face fall into her hands.

.

* * *

_**Incoming Text**_ **– Jogia**

Just landed. Hopping in a cab

* * *

_**Outgoing Text**_ **– Jogia**

See you in 10

* * *

After tossing her iPhone back onto her bed, Liz makes her way back to the full-length mirror in her bathroom. It's only when she stands facing the side, pulling her shirt up to her breasts, that she can see the small curve beginning to form on her stomach. It's barely a bump, but it's there—physical proof of that night.

She stands alone, staring at it, and she cant help but wonder how everything has happened so fast. It feels like longer than a week ago that she'd found out and almost gotten the chance to tell him. Avan had booked a plane ticket to New York the second he found out about Zoey so that he could break the news to Liz in person—completely unaware, of course, of the fact that she was already fully aware.

When she hears a knock at the door, she quickly drops her shirt to let it fall back over her jeans and makes her way to the entry.

"Hi," he greets wearily, stepping inside and dropping his duffel. He can tell that she knows something's up, seeing how their reunions have been much steamier in the past. She seems concerned, and—while he doesn't know if for him or for herself—her anxiety puts a weight on his chest.

Liz's conscious tells her that it'd be teasing both of them to walk into his arms, but she does it anyways. Her head fits perfectly in the crook of his neck, and his arms wrap around her to hold her tightly against his body.

"I've missed you," he whispers, dropping a kiss to her head. "You have no idea how much I wish I didn't have to tell you what I have to tell you."

She sighs against his chest, blinking hard to try to wish away the moment. If she could freeze it—if they could stand here together for the rest of forever—she thinks she'd be the happiest girl alive.

"I already know," she murmurs into his shoulder.

There's a silence before he tries to pull apart to ask her to explain, but she stays clung to him. "Just," she breathes her order, "stay here."

It's quiet again for a few minutes, until,

"I'm so sorry, Liz. I'm so sorry. If there was anything I could do to fix this, you know I would."

Somehow, just an hour after he's arrived, they go from standing together to laying together. He's on his back, still in his clothes from the airport, head leaned against hers. Her body is halfway on his, hand rested on his chest as his arm attaches protectively to her side.

They know they're tempting themselves.

They know they can't have each other.

They know that there are a million complicated things standing between the two of them.

And what pains Liz the most is that he has absolutely no idea that this peaceful little slice of perfection is a family. It's the family he could have if Zoey wasn't pregnant—or maybe even if Liz decided to tell him that she herself was.

For some reason, all of those worries seem to vanish when their eyes close in exhaustion.

And, for hours, they lie still together.

.

"Hey," Avan says, pouring the soymilk carefully into his cereal bowl, "when do we go to the doctor?"

Zoey looks up from her Seventeen magazine, which she's reading intently at his table. Ever since she found out about the pregnancy, she's been sleeping over at Avan's—leaving him with basically no privacy. "Oh, I don't know. I guess in a couple weeks?"

"A couple _weeks_? Aren't we supposed to go find out if you're..._we're_ actually pregnant?"

"I don't think so," she quips. "Besides, I'm like, ninety percent sure I am."

Avan walks over and joins her at the table, setting his bowl down carefully. "Zoey... We need to know whether we're going to be parents or not. I can't sleep—I can't think about anything else. We need to go to the doctor."

She's quiet for a minute, as if she's trying to figure out what she wants to tell him.

"Do you know how far along you are? When…when did this happen?" He asks, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know, okay?" She stammers, obviously flustered by his questions. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters," he answers, his voice getting naturally louder as he rises from the table, "because I need to figure things out, Zoey. I'm supposed to move to New York in a _week_ to start filming Twisted; this baby situation isn't exactly ideal for me. This isn't just something we can take lighty… I don't have time for that! I need to know how I'm going to make this work!"

"You can't do Twisted, Avan," she retorts. "You can't just leave me."

"W-what are you talking about? You would come _with_ me to New York."

"My life is here in LA. I'm not leaving! You have to stay here with me! What if I'm pregnant?!"

"_What if_?! What do you mean _what if_? That's exactly why we need to go to the doctor!"

"Even if I'm not pregnant, would you really go to New York without me?"

"What, you think I'm going to quit my show because you want to stay here in Los Angeles? You don't have any reason _not_ to go with me, Zoey, other than the fact that you don't want to! You're not _doing_ anything here; you're just selfish! And while we're on the topic of you being selfish, let's talk about this pregnancy. I'm curious, Zo, I really am, as to how this happened." His voice is angry and frustrated, and all hope of maintaining his cool has gone out the window.

A brief thought even crosses his mind, just for half a second—a wish that it were Liz instead of Zoey. He's quick to brush it off. It's too miserable.

"So what if I'm not pregnant, Avan?" She shouts back. "Are you saying you wanna end things? Is that what you want?"

"_Goddammit_," he mutters, combing his hand again through his hair. He takes a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Are you pregnant or not?"

She's quiet again, shifting her expression from upset to sympathetic. She wants him to pity her, but he can see through the artificiality. "Avan," she says softly, stepping towards him, "does it really matter? I mean…I think this whole thing has just brought us closer, don't you?"

His face is hard, his blood boiling on the inside.

"You're not pregnant."

She swallows hard, keeping her innocent look. "Just stay here in LA with me."

"You lied to me."

"Technically, I—"

"You told me you were pregnant so that I would stay here instead of going to New York," he realizes, backing away from her so he doesn't do anything he regrets.

"Avan, sto—"

"Don't," is all he says. "You need to go."

Two hours later, when the rest of his apartment (that hadn't already been boxed up) is packed into his suitcases. He's supposed to meet with the people moving his furniture across the country sometime this week, but that's the last thing on his mind. After his cab drops him at LAX, he rushes inside to the ticket desk.

When he hops in the line, he's standing behind a family with several kids. The dad is bent over, tying his son's shoes for him. A BabyBjorn is strapped over the mother's chest, and sitting happily in it is a little boy who looks to be no more than a few months old.

"My name's Madeline."

Avan looks down to see a girl, aged probably six or seven, with strawberry blonde curls. She's staring up at him, an adorably childish grin on her face. "What's yours?"

His lips curve up into a small smile. "I'm Avan."

"That's a funny name," she giggles. "Where is the airplane taking you?"

"New York," he answers, glancing up to see the line moving forward.

"I'm going to see my grandma. She lives in Ara-_zo_na. Why are you going to New York?"

He simply smiles. "A girl."

"Is she pretty?" Madeline asks, tilting her head so one of her pigtails bounces off her shoulder.

"She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen. _And I've seen a lot of pretty girls_."

Her mouth opens excitedly. "Can I see?"

Avan grins and clicks his iPhone's power button to reveal the picture of him and Liz on his lock screen. It's from the photo booth at Victoria's birthday party. They're both laughing at each other, and, while neither of them remembers what was so funny, they'd guessed that that was sort of what was so special about it.

"She _is_ pretty," the little girl agrees. "Are you gon' get married?"

He laughs, "Maybe. I dunno, do you think I should marry her?"

"My momma said that when two people love each other a lot they get married. Do you love her a lot?"

"I love her more than anything in the whole world," he replies, beaming at the thought of her.

"Then I think you should marry her."

He squats down to her level.

"Thanks, Madeline. I think you're right."


	3. Part Three

It's ten thirty at night when the repetitive ringtone begins playing from Liz's iPhone. She'd turned down Kristin's idea to go out to their favorite club, still not having gotten the courage to tell her about the pregnancy, and instead lays in her bed comfortably watching Saturday Night Live.

When she sees that it's Avan, her heart jumps and she ignores the voice telling her that she'll only miss him more if she hears his voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi," he sighs. "How are you?"

"I'm nauseous. I've been nauseous for weeks, and I typically have morning sickness five days out of the week. My back is killing me, and all I want to do is eat brussels sprouts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," is what she _wants_ to say.

But,

"I'm…good," she answers hesitantly instead, shifting in her sheets. "What...um... What are you up to?"

"I just came from the store, actually. I got us some wine."

Her eyes narrow, flickering from side to side suspiciously as she lifts her computer off of her lap. "Avan, what are you..."

After Liz swings her long legs out of her bed, she plants her feet on the ground and begins walking towards the entrance. _"There's no way,"_ she thinks to herself, subconsciously sliding her hand down to hold her queasy, little bump.

When she slowly opens the door, her jaw falls just slightly open at the sight of him.

He's got a backpack, a suitcase, and a duffel bag. In one hand, he holds a bottle of wine. The other, the one being used to hold the phone to his ear, is dropped so he can end the call upon seeing her.

"Hey," he says through a small smile on his face, holding up the bottle. "I brought our favorite."

Liz doesn't think she's ever had so many thoughts running though her head at once, but she's doing her best to field them so she doesn't get too overwhelmed. After initially questioning why and how he's standing in the doorway of her apartment, she looks at the wine and reminds herself that he doesn't know she can't have alcohol.

"What...what are you doing here?"

He laughs. "Can I come in?"

She shakes her head just slightly, as if to chastise herself. "Yeah, sorry. Yeah. Come in."

Once his bags are inside and he's poured two glasses, they take their seats on the couch. This time, she doesn't drape her legs over his lap, and he doesn't put his arm around her. It feels strange, but they're both sure this is how it has to be.

Until the words fall out of his mouth.

"Zoey and I are over."

Liz freezes. She wants nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and kiss him and tell him that they can finally be a family—that she's sure of. She knows, though, that she has to keep her composure for fear that he may have just ditched his pregnant girlfriend. "But," she starts, "what about the b—"

"She's not pregnant," he explains. "She..." He lets out a long breath. "She lied to me."

It isn't until he's spent fifteen minutes explaining to her what had happened that he realizes she hasn't touched her drink.

"I'm sorry," he sighs, worried that bringing their old favorite wine had been pushing it a little too far, "if the wine...is weir—"

"No, no," she cuts him off. "It's not that." Liz finally sets her glass down on the inn table. "Remember when you came to my apartment after you thought Zoey was pregnant?"

He nods.

"I had something that I wanted to tell you, but I just wasn't really sure how to say it."

His eyebrows furrow together, and he sets a gentle hand on her leg. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Mhmm," she murmurs, her nausea returning. She pauses for a minute before, "The...night of the KCAs, at the after party—which I'm sure you remember—we didn't use protection. And it was stupid of us," she says, her words pouring out faster, "and I know we thought that my birth control would be enough, but I guess it wasn't. And I don't want to trap you into anything you don't want to be a part of, because really, I'll be okay by myself. So I just thought I should tell you that because I—"

Before she can get another syllable in, his lips are suddenly preoccupying hers. His hands cup her burning cheeks and Liz swears she's never felt so comforted.

"Avan," she breathes against his mouth, "you don't... have... to do—"

"Shh," he interjects before kissing her again. "This is what I want."

"But, I—"

"Liz," he says, pulling apart just slightly from her. "You don't know how badly I'd wished it'd been you instead of Zoey." She seems to believe him, because her argument never comes.

He's grinning as his hands slide down to hold onto her arms. "We made a baby, huh?"

She nods her head breathlessly. "You think we can do this?"

"Why the hell not?" Avan says, and his goofy smile is so big and his tone so genuine that she has to believe him. "We'll be the best parents," he says, as they fall back onto the couch. Her emerald eyes are staring up from where she lays beside him, and she feels his fingers begin to twirl gently on little strands of her hair.

"We can make it work," he repeats. "You know why?"

"Tell me why."

He pauses, almost as if for dramatic effect. "Because I love you."

Liz rolls her eyes through her smile, but it only earns her a punishment from him.

"What?" Avan asks, kissing her temple. "I can't say I love you without sounding like some kind of fucking love-struck teenager?" They laugh, and soon his lips are all over her face and neck. Despite her teasing protests, he continuously kisses her through "I love yous" until they eventually enter another make-out session.

"Oh," she says, breaking apart for a second, "I love you, too."

.

"Think you're done?"

Liz takes the cup of water that he offers her and gulps a few sips. "I don't know. I think I—"

Before she can say another word, she's gagging into the toilet for the fourth time in thirty minutes. "I can't believe you thought I'd let you do this alone," Avan mutters as he rubs her back.

When she's fully emptied the contents of her stomach into the bowl, she lets him brush a shorter piece of hair out of her face. "I was actually reading a chapter on morning sickness last night," he informs her, "and from what the book said, I don't think this should last much longer. First trimester's almost over, right?"

She raises her perfectly shaped eyebrows, impressed at the amount of things he's actually paid attention to in the books he'd bought them. "You've really been doing your research, huh?" She asks, sipping down the cup of water as he helps her stand up.

"I have."

Liz smiles weakly at him, still recovering from the nausea. "One more week 'til I'm in my second trimester," she confirms, placing a soft hand on his cheek. "Didn't you have to be at the set five minutes ago?"

Avan sets his hand over hers. "Stop worrying," he says, sensing her anxiety. "I already told them I'd be running a little late today. I don't want to miss out on any of this."

"Miss out on what? Me sitting here with no makeup on, throwing my guts up?"

He grins, pulling her face in to kiss her forehead. "You look beautiful. You always look beautiful. And this is all just part of us having this baby together, right?"

"Ugh," she grunts. "I swear, if Mini Jogia makes me vomit one more time, I'm taking it out on _you_."

He's still laughing, though, when they walk out of their bathroom. "You're still coming up to meet me for lunch, right?"

"I'll be there at one," she promises.

.

"_Don't you fight it, cause I know you're gonna like it..."_

As Liz hand-washes the wine glasses from the girl's night she'd hosted last night (during which she sipped on green tea and made an excuse for not drinking even for her two closest friends), she sings one of her favorite Ben Taylor Songs to herself.

She's on the third glass when she suddenly feels him come up behind her. He doesn't say anything, but his arms wrap around her body and he uses his hands to cradle her bump. It's not too big yet, but it's getting harder to hide, and Avan swears she gets more attractive (if even possible) every day that goes by.

An immediate smile appears on her face as she sets the glass down in the sink and leans back into him. She can't help that her sex drive has felt so heightened lately, and it's like he's reading her mind when he starts kissing all down her neck.

Before the pregnancy, it always seemed like it was Avan who was constantly in the mood for it. They would be in her dressing room, with ten minutes until their next scene together, and he would all but beg on his knees for just a few minutes of fun. Usually she'd go along with the spontaneity, but there were those times where she was busy or had something to get done and simply had to tell him no.

These new hormones, though, take her to a different mindset; she's pretty sure that she wouldn't turn him down if the apartment was on fire and they only had a minute to get out.

Avan, of course, thinks he's died and gone to Heaven.

Naturally, it's not long before Liz is flipped around to face him. When he lifts her up to sit on the counter, he stands between her legs—resting his hands high on her thighs—and continues pressing his lips to hers over and over again.

When he moves to her cheek, he drags his mouth to her ear and she lets in an involuntary gasp. "You just want it all the time, don't you?" He laughs, using his hands to smooth over her curves.

Within five minutes, all items of clothing are on the kitchen floor. Avan's more gentle with her than usual—he's sure it's not safe for the baby to have the kind of sex they usually do—but she seems to be even more stimulated than normal.

His ever-protective self thinks a couple times about asking her if she feels okay, but any doubts he has are silenced by her pleasurable screams.

When they finish with a shower together, they're kissing through smiles and he's holding her closely against him. "Man," he laughs, sliding his hands down her back, "if we'd known this is what pregnancy was like, I think we would have done this _years_ ago."

.

"I swear to god, this baby _wants_ me to be fat."

Avan grins and hands her the bowl of vegetables. "When everything you're eating is green, I don't think you have anything to worry about it. And besides," he adds, kissing her as he joins her in the bed, "you could eat vegan, gluten-whatever cake every day of your life and still have the best body of anyone I know."

"I'm just starving. I really, really want a cheeseburger. So badly."

"You know I'd go to In-N-Out," he starts.

"I know," she finishes. "Oh, god, In-N-Out fries... Oh, I'd do anything for those."

"How about," he offers, taking her bowl and setting it on the nightstand behind him, "you let me distract you." When he leans in to kiss her, her hands immediately move to his cheek and hair so she can pull him closer.

He takes her cues and wraps his arms around her waist, smiling against her lips at how eager she already is. Just as he's getting excited, she pulls away from him.

"When are we gonna tell people?" Liz asks in a single breath.

He blinks a few times, regaining the stability he loses every time he kisses her. "That was random."

"Sorry," she sighs, her lips curving up into a sympathetic smile. "It's just sort of been on my mind, and I don't want to worry about it, but I can't help it. We…aren't going to be able to hide this," she points out, nodding to her growing stomach, "for much longer."

"I know," Avan agrees. "I know it's selfish and all, but I'd give anything to be able to just forget everything and everyone and just be you and me… just have our own little family and not have to bother with what anyone else thinks."

"You know we can't do that. Ariana's already suspicious, and every time I see my mom she tells me that Kristin and I need to stop making late-night runs to BabyCakes so I'll be able to wear my 'cute clothes' again instead of all the 'loose stuff'. I feel bad lying to her, and…I don't know. I don't want anyone to know, but—"

"But we want everyone to know. I get it."

Her shoulders heave up and then back down as she exhales. "We just have to figure something out."

Avan nods his head. "We will, Babe," he promises, pulling her into a hug from where they're sitting in bed.

It's peacefully quiet for a few long moments, until,

"I really want a turkey," she moans into his shoulder. "Just like, a big, Thanksgiving turkey. The whole thing." When they pull away, he's looking at her as if the things that come out of her mouth are the most entertaining things in the world to him.

(They are.)

He kisses her again, his hands again finding their places on her back.

"Or," she continues through kisses, "mozzarella sticks. Not like," _kiss_, "the healthy kind." _More kissing._ "Like straight up," _kiss_, "bowling alley style."

This time, Avan bursts into laughter. "You wanna go get BabyCakes?"

Her eyes get wide, and he can't help but find it adorable how she gets about as excited for food as she does for _him_.

"It's midnight," is her very, _very_ weak protest.

"We don't sleep anyways."

She grins and pulls his face in to kiss him again. "Let's go."

.

"I really think it's a girl."

"Trust me," Liz contests, "it's a boy."

The obstetrician smiles. "I'm picking up a heartbeat," she says, sliding the handle over Liz's convex belly. "At eighteen weeks, we'll definitely be able to tell you the sex today."

Avan squeezes his girlfriend's hand and kisses the side of her head. "We've been waiting for this for weeks," he explains.

"If you look right here," she says, pointing to the grainy screen, "you can see the head. And then, here are the legs."

"He's so tiny," Liz adds.

"Actually," the doctor replies, "your little _he_ is a _she_. Congratulations. You're having a baby girl."

Liz immediately turns to Avan, eyes wide and jaw ajar. His lopsided grin is spread from ear to ear as he stares at the monitor. "We're gonna have a daughter," he breathes, turning to Liz to kiss her lips.

"I'll give you two a few minutes while I go print your pictures," the doctor announces warmly after wiping Liz's stomach clean of the gel.

Avan looks back to his girlfriend, but her eyes are locked on the screen. The frozen picture of the tiny baby is the only thing in her line of vision, and she's holding her hand to her chest as a single tear rolls down her face.

"I'm sorry," she sniffles, wiping under her eye, "These hormo—"

"Babe," he interrupts, clasping both of his hands around her free one, "don't apologize. We're having a little girl! We're doing this—you and me, like we said."

He kisses her hand and then her pale stomach, pressing his lips against her bump. She gets chills just from watching him, and a few more tears fall before the doctor returns to the room. After giving them the photo roll, she congratulates and kindly dismisses them from the office.

They're walking through the hospital lobby, his arm looped behind her neck, when Avan sees them.

About fifteen paparazzi—that typically (not to their prior knowledge) stake out outside of the building to watch for who'll have the latest pregnancy scandal—are ready and eager to snap some photos. Although Liz's loose black top will cover her belly, the thought of the public seeing a picture of them leaving an OBGYN is scary enough.

"Avan," Liz warns, stopping in her tracks to pull him aside. "Maybe we should leave separately."

He shakes his head. "I know we don't want people to know yet, but I don't want it to seem like we're ashamed of being together."

"And _I _don't want people finding out about this until we tell them. Our friends—our _parents_ don't even know yet. And what about Mike? or Zoey? They can't know about th—"

"Liz," he calms, "it's gonna be fine. You have your hat, and if both of us wear sunglasses and keep our heads down, they're not gonna get any evidential pictures."

She sighs, and he locks his fingers in with hers on both hands. "They're not gonna touch you."

There's something about his voice—something that makes her feel warm and protected and loved—and, when he leans in to kiss her at just that moment, she knows he'll keep his word.

Once their eyes are shaded and his arm is back around her, they start together out the doors. The cameras begin to flash and the paparazzi are quick to move towards the couple, so Liz buries her face into Avan's chest and he keeps a close grip on her. The photographers, however, are being fiercely aggressive as they continuously shout and snap pictures.

"Stay close to me," he murmurs just loud enough for her to hear, kissing the hair that falls over her ear.

Determined to find out who the secretive couple is, the paps crowd around them—making it increasingly difficult for Liz and Avan to keep their heads down. Although he's frustrated with the situation, the actor is able to keep his cool.

…Until one of the cameramen knocks into Avan, who bumps against Liz, whose hand instinctively moves to shield her stomach. In that moment, not only are a few pictures (from the distance) taken of Liz's accident hint, but Avan also loses any patience he had to begin with.

"Hey!" He shouts angrily at the intruders, his hold on his girlfriend tightening. "That's enough! You got your photos; leave us alone!"

"Avan!" They all shout simultaneously, "Is that Elizabeth Gillies?"

"Are you and Elizabeth together?"

"Is she pregnant?"

"Is it yours?"

"Where's Zoey Deutch?"

"Did you elope?"

"Will you continue filming Twisted?"

When they finally arrive back at his car, he helps Liz in before hopping into the driver's seat and pulling out of the parking lot as fast as possible.

They're silent. Shocked. Nervous. Helpless.

And they're fully aware that life as they know it is definitely over.


	4. Part Four

**Sorry this is so long, I got really carried away. Enjoy & review xo**

* * *

"Good evening, passengers, and welcome aboard Continental Airlines Flight 2395 to Los Angeles. We should be arriving to LAX around 7:30 pm. Please make sure your seat belts are fastened, and let us know if we can do anything to further accommodate you."

As Avan starts to get settled in his first-class window seat, Liz buckles the seat belt under her growing belly and fastens it as well as she can. When he turns to face her, he gives her a comforting smile and slips his hand into hers, waffling their fingers together.

"Stop worrying," he says, jolting her from her thoughts.

"I'm not," she lies, barely shaking her head as she rests her right hand on her bump.

"They're gonna be happy for us—just like our parents were."

Liz raises her eyebrows. "Like _your_ parents were," she corrects.

"Oh, come on. They didn't take it that badly. Sure, they were a little disappointed, but what parents wouldn't be?"

"Well _yours _weren't, firstly. And second, I thought my mom was gonna pass out."

"My parents are just hippies," he defends. "They love you and they know we're in a committed relationship, so of course they're excited that we're giving them a grandkid. As for your mom," Avan continues, "she'll come to terms with it eventually. She said she'd support us, and that's all that matters."

"George did seem pretty happy about it," she concedes. "I'm pretty sure he just wants to have a baby around so he can use her to pick up girls."

Avan laughs, and his next comment is interrupted by the sound of the flight attendant announcing the plane's momentary departure from the ground. Liz, always anxious about flying, becomes noticeably uncomfortable as she shifts in her seat. Avan slings his arm around her back, allowing her to move into his chest.

"What if they already know?" She asks, her eyes worried.

"They would have called by now."

"Maybe not," she protests. "Maybe they saw it online and were too afraid to say anything because they think we hate them for not telling them sooner."

Avan gives her a sympathetic smile and kisses her temple. "It's been three days since the incident with the paps, and it's not on the internet yet as far as we know. _We're_ going to be the ones to tell them, and they're gonna take it well. They were always fans of our relationship when we dated a few years ago, and they all know we're together _now_; why would anything change?"

She gives him an accusing look. "Do you really want to go there? You knocked me up while we were both dating other people."

"Yeah, but it's not like any of them actually like either of our exes."

Liz wants to argue back, but he has a point. All of their cast members—Leon and Ariana, in particular—had really just been waiting for she and Avan to find their ways back to each other.

It just so happens that, proven by the bump under Liz's shirt, they've taken it a step further. Avan places his hand over hers on the baby, gently rubbing his thumb against his girlfriend's fingers.

"Is she kicking today?" He asks, taking her mind off of the plane's ascent into the air.

"Not too much," she answers, and he can hear her beginning to relax in her tone. "It's mostly that I can _feel_ her. Sometimes—randomly—I get this strange fluttery feeling, and I know she's just moving around in there."

He grins and leans his head in to kiss Liz's hair. "I can't wait to meet her," he says, nuzzling his head into her neck. "I bet she'll be a mini version of you."

"Oh, god, I don't want her to have my vampire skin."

"I want her to have your eyes," he furthers anyways. "No matter what, we'll be the best parents."

"I dunno," she teases, "we're both kind of insane. _Definitely_ not normal enough to be responsible for raising a kid."

"I thought normal was boring," he protests.

"That's true," she replies. "I think Jade and Beck would say so."

"We can sing to her every night," Avan continues. "And we'll get to teach her how to walk, and talk, and—"

"Slow down, there, Jogia," she interrupts. "We've got over four months before she's even _born_—and we haven't thought of names or anything. Need I remind you, our friends don't even know she _exists_ yet."

"And we're fixing that this weekend," he finishes, sliding his hand off of hers to rub her stomach over her shirt.

Liz rests her head against his chest, closing her eyes as she feels both of his hands sprawl across her bump. The baby is no stranger his touch, and she's all but still when he begins stroking Liz's belly. She kicks at his palms, bringing a smile to her mother's face, and Avan is beaming at the response from his daughter.

"She really likes her dad," Liz offers, and he can hear the grin in her voice. He turns his head just slightly so that he can kiss her ear, producing chills all over her body.

"I guess that makes sense," he replies, his breath hot against her skin, "cause I really love her mom."

She falls asleep in his arms, and she thinks maybe flying isn't so bad as long as he's there to hold her.

.

After keeping a low profile throughout the airport and checking into a hotel under false names, they're finally in the peace of their own room.

"How're you feeling?" Avan asks, prompting Liz to walk into his open arms and rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just tired," she answers, wishing they could settle telling their friends with a simple phone call instead of doing it in person.

Avan doesn't respond, because he's waiting for the other half of her thoughts that he knows exist. It comes a minute later.

"It's not that I'm not excited to see them," she clarifies. "I'm just..."

"Nervous," he finishes for her, pressing a kiss to her hair before pulling back to look into her crystal eyes. "I know you are. I am, a little, too."

She doesn't look at him for long before their eyes are closed and lips locked. Her palms cup his cheeks, pulling his face into hers, and his hands are shielding her stomach.

"We don't have dinner with them until tomorrow night," Avan reminds her, kissing her forehead. "We've got the whole day to hang out, and then I was thinking maybe—after dinner—we could all go see a movie together. Think you'd be up for that?"

Liz nods her head. "That sounds fun. I miss when we'd all go to movies. It's been a while," she says, moving over to her suitcase so she can change. When they're both in comfortable clothes and laying on the bed, Avan uses his elbow to prop him up by Liz's stomach.

He lifts her loose shirt—rolling it up just below her breasts—to reveal her pale, perfect skin. As he rubs his palm over the bump, he presses his lips to her belly and she runs a soothing hand through his hair.

Avan sits silently for a few minutes, while Liz closes her eyes and rests against the pillow. He's read in a couple of his books that, at this stage in the pregnancy, the baby is starting to become familiar with her parents' voices. _"Talk to your baby,"_ the advice had read. _"H/She is usually very soothed by the sound of her parents." _The quiet lasts another moment, before,

"Hi, Baby Girl," he starts sheepishly, his cheeks flushing pink with hesitation. When his eyes flicker quickly up towards Liz, her eyes are still closed.

"It's Daddy," he continues, holding his hand on her bump. "Can you hear me?" He holds his tongue for a few seconds, and it's just long enough for him to feel the pressure coming at his palm from inside Liz's stomach. She cracks open her eyes and, resting her hand on top of his, gives him a smile.

Avan is grinning from ear to ear when he drops another kiss to her bump. "We should probably start thinking of what we're gonna name her. Knowing _you_, it'll take these next four-and-a-half months to decide on one."

"Because I want it to be perfect," Liz defends.

"Just like everything you do—and it always _is _perfect," he replies, kissing from her belly all the way up to her lips.

"I like Daphne," she offers. "It's classy and not too common."

"Daph's cool," he agrees. "It's sort of—"

"No, no. Not Daph. _Daphne_."

He furrows his eyebrows. "What's…the difference?"

"_Daph_ sounds like Daffy Duck. That's gross. We would call her Daphne."

"People are gonna shorten it to Daph," Avan points out. "That's just inevitable."

"Then I don't like it. If she has to have a name that people shorten, I at least want the nickname to be chic."

He laughs. "Okay, what about Hazel? People would probably just call her Hazel."

"But what if she has my eyes? Kids named Hazel usually have hazel eyes, so that wouldn't make any sense."

"Do you see why I said we'd need five months to figure this out?"

She rolls her eyes and kisses him through a smile. "What about India?"

"Yeah, I li—"

"Oh, but then Ind_ia _Jog_ia_. There's the double ending thing—that just doesn't sound right… We could do Sage," she continues, not giving him a chance to speak before, "but that's too many _G _sounds… Ooh, how about—"

"_How about_ we talk about this tomorrow?" Avan interrupts, stretching his arm around her body so they can snuggle into the covers.

"Fine," she agrees in a yawn, turning on her side so he can spoon her. He has one arm underneath her body to hold her hand, the other slung over her to rest on the baby.

"Goodnight, Love," he whispers.

She usually replies by squeezing his hand or returning his goodnight wishes, but the sound of her breathing tells him that she's dozed off. He drops a kiss to her shoulder, and, soon enough, he's asleep beside her.

.

They're the first ones at the restaurant, arriving earlier than they'd told their friends to come so that Liz would already be seated (and the bump would go unnoticed).

Ariana and Matt are the first to arrive, and a wave of guilt immediately washes over Liz when she sees the huge smile on her best friend's face. She feels terrible for not having already told Ari about the pregnancy, but her and Avan's agreement to keep it between them had been the only way to guarantee no one found out.

"Hi, Meeples!" She greets brightly, leaning over Liz to hug her. She takes a seat by the expectant mom, still completely oblivious to the bump that Liz's black top is hiding. "Oh my god," she exclaims, and Liz's stomach does a nervous flip, "did your boobs get even _bigger_?"

(Yes, as Avan has so enthusiastically been pointing out in the last month or so.)

"What? I don't think so. Maybe?"

"I think they did. God, share the wealth a little, Liz," she teases, and Liz can breathe normal again. "So, how've things been in New York?"

"Pretty busy," is her vague answer.

"How have things been with you and Av?"

"Really, really good. I'm just glad that he's back in New York with me, because getting to share an apartment is so much better than the whole long-distance thing."

"Ugh, I'm so jealous," Ari replies after ordering herself a glass of wine. "You think being across the country is hard; I'm lucky if Jai and I even catch each other for a few _hours_ to talk during the day."

"Oh, but you two are so committed to making it work. It'll get better someday."

"Yeah, we'll someday needs to hurry its ass up. How's the album going?"

"It's awesome. I've had some… recent inspiration to write a lot, so it's all really coming together."

Before Ariana can ask her to explain, in walk Daniella and Victoria. They greet the table and take their seats, pearly smiles on both of their gorgeous faces. When Leon arrives, the table is ordering appetizers and the conversation is bustling with talk of Ariana's latest single, Avan's new show, and Vic's summer tour.

"Thanks for getting all of us together," Daniella says, sipping on her white wine. "I've missed everyone so much."

Not a single one of them disagrees, and the talk spirals into reminiscing about old Victorious memories and hopes for the future. It isn't until they're halfway through their main dishes that Avan bumps his knee against Liz's under the table. She gives a subtle nod of her head, cueing him to continue.

"Before it, uh, gets too late… there's something that I wanted to share with the table." He's unable to keep the smile from creeping onto his face, so he grabs Liz's hand that's sitting on the table and looks up at his friends.

"Liz and I are having a baby."

Her heart stops for a second as she watches their reactions.

Ariana drops her fork.

Daniella's jaw falls open.

Leon laughs out loud.

Vic raises a skeptical eyebrow.

Matt looks satisfied.

It's silent for a few seconds, until Avan's dark-skinned best friend raises his wine. "Hey, I'll drink to that."

Shocked looks gradually turn to happy ones, and soon everyone is clinking their glasses together in a toast to the soon-to-be parents.

"Wait," Ariana cuts in as she turns to Liz, "how far along are you?!"

She hesitates before, "About nineteen weeks."

Ariana's mouth drops open as she brushes the tablecloth back to reveal Liz's middle. When she sets her hand gently on her stomach, she gets a feel of the bump that she hadn't noticed before. Thankfully for Liz, Ari seems more shocked that she'd missed the bulging belly rather than the fact that she hadn't known about the baby. "_Ohmagod_," she gasps, and Liz gives her a hopeful look.

"I'm so happy for you guys," the singer says, in a much better reaction than Liz had anticipated. She leans over to hug her best friend, holding her tightly as if to apologize for not having told her sooner.

"I knew your boobs had grown," Ari laughs quietly into Liz's ear. When the girls pull apart smiling, words of congratulations are being exchanged all across the table.

"Do you know the sex?" Vic asks first.

"It's a girl," Liz replies happily.

"_Aww_," Daniella gushes. "She's going to be absolutely beautiful. This is so exciting!"

By the time the couple has finished fielding questions about all kinds of details, the group is wrapping up their dessert and Avan has paid the check.

"So, is everyone still down to do the movie?" He asks, giving his friends a discreet look that reminds everyone of his plans for the night.

When no one declines, the seven of them return to their cars and head to the theater. It's not until Ariana sits down next to her best friend, M&Ms in hand, that Liz realizes how hungry she is.

"Babe," Liz whispers, leaning into Avan, "I really want an Icee. A strawberry Icee just… I just need it."

He grins. "Okay, I'll be right back." Ten minutes after kissing her cheek and scooting out of the aisle, he returns with her drink to see that the movie is starting. "Sorry it took so long," he says, handing her the cup. "The line was kind of long."

The first sip of red Icee that goes down Liz's throat doubles as the last when she almost gags upon drinking it. "Wh-What's wrong? Are you okay?" Avan immediately asks as he turns towards her.

"That was…just…no," she sputters quietly, frowning as she hands it back to him.

"You did say strawberry, right?"

"Hey," an unfriendly voice whispers from the row behind them, "could you keep it down?"

Avan rolls his eyes. "Uh-huh," Liz answers, "but _ugh_… That just didn't sit well." She pauses for a few moments, until, "But you know what sounds _really_ good?"

He doesn't take his eyes off of the screen, instead just leaning in to hear her better. "What?"

"A Coke one."

Avan turns towards her, giving her a look that asks her to confirm that she really wants him to go back to the concession stand. She has an apologetic smile on her face, and soon enough the actor is making his second trip to the theater lobby.

"Damn, girl," Ariana whispers, using her hand to crack an invisible whip.

Liz laughs, being sure to keep her voice down. "I swear, being pregnant gives me _powers_. He can't say no to me—no matter what I want or what time it is. Last week, I made him get me fries at seven in the morning."

"Ew," her friend replies. "In the _morning_?"

"Hey, blame the baby. I take no responsibility for what time of day she wants what she wants."

The girls laugh again and, after being shushed once again by the man behind them, Avan is returning to the theater. Liz takes a sip of her new Icee, one that tastes much better to her than the last. When she thanks him and kisses his lips, he's beaming as if he'd just accomplished some kind of great feat. Little does _Liz_ know, her Icee is far from the most exciting thing that'll be happening during this movie.

An hour into the film, it's obvious that most of the theater is bored.

"Dude," Leon whispers into his friend's ear, "do it _now_. I need some entertainment."

"Alright, alright," is Avan's hasty reply. He mentally prepares himself for a few brief seconds before rising to face the theater. Since their row is pretty far down, almost everyone's eyes are on the tall twenty-one year old. There are hushed murmurs and a few people (including the already grumpy man) demanding that he sit down, but he's on a mission and it's too late to go back now.

"Excuse me, everyone. May I have your attention?" He says, not exactly giving anyone a chance.

Ariana's grinning from ear to ear when he pulls a very shocked Liz up to stand beside him, and Matt has already started recording on his camera.

"This is the woman I love," Avan continues, reiterating his words from just a year ago, when no one had known that he _wasn't actually kidding_. Liz's jaw slowly opens as she realizes what he's doing, but her eyes don't start watering until he drops down to one knee.

"Okay," he begins, "you know better than anyone that I'm not great with words—so I'm just gonna wing this, but… Liz, from the day we got called in to that chemistry read, I thought you were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen."

"What are you doing?" An annoyed voice calls from the top of the theater—but they ignore it.

"You were skinny and white as a ghost and had the cutest smile... As I got to know you, I realized that you weren't just the funny, crazy, and brilliant girl I thought you were—you were the love of my life."

At this point, all four girls are crying (as well as some nearby patrons who had heard his words) and watch as Avan pulls the little velvet box out of his back pocket.

"So, Elizabeth Egan Gillies," he says, revealing the exquisite diamond ring, "will you marry me?"

Liz nods her head repeatedly, allowing him to slide the ring onto her finger before rising to pull her in for a deep kiss. "I love you so much," he says against her lips as cheers begin coming from the audience.

"Uh, excuse me," comes a voice from the theater's entrance. A flashlight starts to shine on the couple, and they turn around to see a suspicious employee standing next to the disgruntled man. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you stay in the theater with as many disruptions as have been reported."

The entire cast has to hold back their laughter as the annoyed woman motions for them to exit the auditorium. It isn't until they're back outside that Liz can take in what had just happened. "You," she says, linking her arms behind his neck as he wraps his around her back, "are insane." They share another kiss, one that's watched happily by the rest of their excited cast. When she pulls back, her attention is turned to the kicks coming from inside of her stomach. Liz laughs as she watches him move his hands to the baby. "I think she approves."

.

* * *

[a story on JustJared]

**BREAKING NEWS: Avan Jogia and Liz Gillies Engaged, Expecting Baby**

Who _didn't _see this coming?

After a few weeks of speculation, a rep for Jogia confirmed to us this morning that the ex-Nickelodeon co-stars are indeed engaged and expecting their first child.

"They're the happiest couple in the world," says close friend (and fellow cast mate) Daniella Monet. "I can't wait to babysit!"

Avan and Liz, who met on the set of Dan Schneider's hit tween show _Victorious_, played hot couple Beck and Jade for three years together. After splitting to date other people for a little over a year, the two are back together and taking huge steps forward!

Congratulations to the both of them; we wish them nothing but the best. That's going to be one attractive kid!

* * *

(a)**ATJogia**: I guess the word's officially out. Thanks for all the kin words. We really couldn't be happier.

[reply] (a)**LizGillies**: (a)**ATJogia** Kin

[reply] (a)**ATJogia**: (a)**LizGillies** Dammit.

* * *

(a)**ATJogia**: I guess the word's officially out. Thanks for all the KIND words. We really couldn't be happier.

[reply] (a)**lizmcgillz**: (a)**ATJogia** I KNEW IT

[reply] (a)**badestuffs**: (a)**ATJogia** SCXRENAAIBG

[reply] (a)**begilliesfied**: (a)**ATJogia** IM CRYING IS THIS REAL LIFE OMFG BDAZAM ELAVANBADE 5EVAH

[reply] (a)**gilliesthegreat**: (a)**ATJogia** WHAT. OMG. WHAT IS HAPPENING.

[reply] (a)**madisvictorious** (a)**ATJogia** SCREAMING U GUYS R PERF

[reply] (a)**flawlizgillies** (a)**ATJogia** HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT OMFG

[reply] (a)**simplygillies** (a)**ATJogia** nskakzlalckfanmfamvkakslqpspsoxmmcnsnafkslfleleldl kdkqlfkjwhfjwlwjdkakckakAjHSJQKSK€\£_¥%%~\jskqldjgfal

* * *

(a)**LizGillies**: At least now I don't look like an idiot for having three containers full of Barbies in my apartment… Right?

* * *

(a)**ArianaGrande**: IT'S TRUEEEEEEEEEEEE

* * *

(a)**MattBennett**: Looks like Starburst is going to have some competition… #MiniJogia

* * *

(a)**VictoriaJustice**: YAY it's finally public! Congrats to Beck and Jade—oh, I mean Avan and Liz ;{) xo

* * *

.

"The Left is kind of softer...it's like a easier gray. But I feel like when the sun comes in through the windows, it'll brighten the Right one. And the Right also might look better with the bedding. I don't know… What do you think?"

"Yeah," Avan agrees absentmindedly. "They're both great."

Liz turns towards him, eyes narrowed. "Are you even looking at them?"

His arms are folded across his chest as he lightens his expression. "Yeah! Yeah, I think either one will be good!"

She pauses. "You don't even care."

"What? Of course I do!"

"Then tell me what you really think. We're supposed to do this together; this is our daughter's _nursery_. We're going to be in here all the time. She'll sleep in here and we'll change her diapers in here and I want it to be perfect."

Normally, Avan would be slightly taken aback by the moodiness of his fiancé; lately, though, he's been used to her _slightly_ overdramatic nature. "Okay, if you want my honest opinion—"

"That's all I want."

He's a bit hesitant, but the look on her face tells him that he'd better talk anyways. "I don't really see a difference."

Her eyebrows furrow. "What?"

He releases an arm to gesture towards the wall, where the two (nearly identical) strides of colors are painted side by side. "I…don't see the difference. It's gray and gray."

"It's Ivory and Moonstone," she corrects sharply.

"Babe," he retracts, whipping out his charming smile—but the damage is already done. "You're so much better at this than me. I just—"

"You seriously don't see a difference? These colors are like night and day, Avan."

"I'm just stupid," he stammers, half-joking and trying to get a smile out of her.

"Clearly," she huffs, crossing her arms over her seven-month bump.

"But, you know," Avan starts again, turning towards her, "I really think the left one is the best." He holds her body as close to him as he can, his hands resting on her waist. "And, besides," he says, "Ivory is _so much_ of a cooler name than Moonstone for a paint color." He kisses her nose and then her lips, and by the time he pulls her in for a hug he's got her smiling.

When they part and return to facing the wall, Liz looks at the colors and sighs happily. "Moonstone it is," she declares, spinning to exit the room.

Avan, now alone in the spacious, empty nursery, shakes his head and blows out a puff of air. "Moonstone it is."

.

It's just past two in the morning when Avan cracks his eyes open, his gut telling him that something just isn't right. Liz is pressed up against his chest, and he hears a sniffle coming from where she lays.

"Liz," he breathes, rubbing her arm to get her attention. "Are you up?" She sniffles again and turns slowly towards him, revealing her watery eyes. "Baby," he says, brushing her hair behind her ear, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she sighs. "It's nothing, I just can't sleep."

"Why? Talk to me. Are you nauseous again? Or does your back hurt?" He asks, referring to the two major obstacles his fiancé had been facing in the eighth month of her pregnancy.

"Both," she answers. "And… I don't know… I was just thinking about Zoey, and Mike, and sometimes I just feel bad about everything that happened."

He nods his head and doesn't speak for a minute, twirling a strand of her brown hair around his finger. "I know," he begins, "that things could have gone better. And I know Mike took it hard and that he was initially upset… But, he seems really okay with it now, and he even has that new girlfriend—who, no offense, is much closer to his age."

Liz sniffles again and even cracks a tired smile before her feelings can get her down again. "But Zoey, too… She was so angry, and such a bitch. And as much as I want to be mad at her for it, it's hard because I'm the one who stole you away from her."

"She was just jealous, Liz, you know that. She wished that she hadn't been lying about her own pregnancy, and she resented the fact that we'd ever been in love before I met her."

When Liz doesn't reply, Avan sighs and uses his elbow to prop himself up. "You know I love you more than anyone in the world, right?"

Another sniffle. "Mmhmm."

"Then," he says, "I need you to understand that you didn't steal me away from her… My heart was yours from the beginning." He places his hand on her warm cheek and presses his lips her soft, pink ones. "It was always you."

She puts her hand over his and lets him kiss her again and again, stopping only when the pain in her stomach gets bad again.

"I got it," Avan whispers, pushing her shirt up to her breasts. After dropping kisses down from her chest to her belly, he gently rolls his hands onto the bump. He starts massaging her, allowing her to relax much more than she can without him. "Better?" He asks, continuing to rub his palms on her bare skin.

She nods her head breathlessly and shuts her eyes again as he lulls her back to sleep, her rested eyes not opening until late the next morning.

.

"Let's go, Gillies!" Avan shouts from the bleachers, clapping for the seventeen-year-old on the baseball field.

As the actor sits comfortably by his very pregnant fiancé, he watches her munch on a bag of vegan popcorn. Her black maxi dress drapes over her burgeoning belly, and at this point all she can think about is finally seeing the baby. While the doctor had told them it'd be another week before she was ready to have her, Liz can't imagine going another _day_ feeling like an "overstuffed turkey."

It isn't until her younger brother makes a home run for his high school team that she pulls her attention back into the game. Loud cheers are coming from the crowd as family and friends rise in victory, and Avan is careful to help Liz down the bleachers so they can return to the car.

"Watch your step, please, Babe," he warns, his over-protective side coming out.

"I'm fine," she insists. "I just—" Before she can finish her sentence, she gets a sharp pain that her pregnancy books tell her can only mean one thing. "Avan," she alerts, "Avan, I think—"

But she doesn't have to say anything else, because the water that lands in the grass between her legs says it all.


End file.
